Portugese book covers

I spent a week skipping around Porto in Portugal a while back and was cheered to find some playful book graphics lurking at flea markets and in musty back street shops.

Some colourful 1960's and 70's psychedelic numbers here:

 I was a little bewitched by these mysterious (and racy?) looking tomes, probably from the 1950's 

 

And approved of the all round abundance of turquoise colour schemes, hurrah!

Most of Porto's typography, signage and interiors are all still firmly lodged in the 1960's and 70's making it a pretty excellent retro excursion.  I also loved the splendid Art Deco sights dotted around the city that still look really quite glorious.

I was pretty charmed by some of the local characters who still seem to reside in the past too

We also went to a superb Art Deco villa on the outskirts of the city called Serralves, started in 1925 by Portugese architect José Marques da Silva and finally finished in 1944 for the Count of Vizela to reside in.  It has incredible examples of opulent 30's features and fittings as well as vast and ridiculously idyllic grounds replete with expertly coiffed lawns, wooded paths and a scented garden - this Count was a lucky chap.

We also tried this dubious local culinary beast - Franceshinas consist of dangerous levels of bread, ham, sausage, chipolata, steak and melted cheese complemented with a tomato and beer sauce and render you immobile for around 48 hours.

 Pretty vistas and rustic rambling galore

Katowice, Poland

Just got back from a (bumpy) roadtrip from Berlin to Katowice in Poland to attend the OFF festival.  Was inspired by this stylish gemoetric lady en route at a Polski service station...

The OFF festival was a really nicely curated event on an air field where you could lazily watch planes doing loop the loops above you by day then by night experience all manner of experimental musical wonders.  It was only £50 for 3 days too. And £1.20 a pint..

Some excellent sonic journeys were had via a heady amalgamation of Syrian wedding fever, industrial otherworldiness, African drumming sensation and psychedelic walls of sound courtesy of Omar Souleyman, Factory Floor, Konono No 1 and Emeralds

Also heard some great hazy ambient drone from Oneohtrix Point Never - playing with all sorts of synths and noises that were perfect for the late night 3am on the fringes of consciousness slot:

Couldn't face leaving Eastern Europe without smuggling back some kind of faded ephemera so when I spied a murky shop labelled ANTIK in Katowice town centre I scuttled in for a rummage and found this 1940's beauty.

I really rate Poland, affable people who don't mind giving you directions at 11pm when you've been lost in industrial wastelands for 3 hours and have started to attack your own steering wheel, and some cheap and lovely native vodka that comes in various handy pocket sizes.  A winner.